Green plums cannot become lovers.

Below the stage were more than a hundred pairs of expectant eyes.

Further away, there are live cameras pointed at the stage—where there may be tens of thousands of viewers watching them.

tension.

Easy-to-cool paint<}scar? Matters Qi Matters Wu Tumor Excitement.

It still feels a little unreal.

Kita walked to his seat, standing next to An and Asuka, looking at the sea of ​​people below the stage, and suddenly whispered:

"Senior Anhe."

"Ok?"

"Thank you."

An and Asuka turned their heads to look at her.

There were no tears in the girl's eyes, only a deep and pure gratitude.

He nodded.

"come on."

"Ok!"

The lights went out.

The entire room fell silent.

Then--

The first note rang out.

Volume 1: Chapter 217 The First Performance

When the lights came on again, the cheers from the audience continued.

An and Asuka put down their guitars, turned slightly to the side, and left the center stage position to Kita Ikuyo. Throughout the performance, he remained in a position towards the back of the stage, neither conspicuous nor flamboyant, like a solid foundation, silently supporting the entire band's performance.

This was a choice he made intentionally.

He could have stood in the lead guitar and vocal position. With his fame and talent, it would have been perfectly natural for him to stand at the front and receive the cheers of the audience.

But he didn't.

Because he knew that he would eventually leave the band.

This band belongs to Nijika, Ryo, and Kita; it's not his. He's just a temporary helper. Once this performance is over, and they've gained enough experience and confidence, he'll return to his own life, back to the place that is "Praise Music," which is rightfully his.

In that case, this most prominent position should be reserved for the person who truly belongs to this band—Ikuyo Kita.

Even though she is not mature enough yet, even though her singing still has a raw vibrato, even though her fingers trembled with nervousness when facing the dark crowd below the stage.

But this is her stage.

An and Asuka are only here to help, not to replace anyone.

-

Looking back at the entire performance, it wasn't exactly perfect.

Facing hundreds of audience members for the first time, the three girls' nervousness was almost palpable. Hongxia's drumming was much heavier than during practice, almost causing her to lose the rhythm several times; Liang's bass playing was as steady as ever, but she stared blankly at a single point throughout, her whole body stiff as a stone.

Kita's performance was the most nerve-wracking—when she introduced herself, despite having rehearsed her lines countless times, she still managed to stumble for a full three seconds.

"H-Hello everyone...I am...uh..."

Those three seconds of silence were amplified a thousandfold in the quiet livehouse. The audience's eyes were all fixed on her; Kita's face flushed crimson, and her microphone trembled.

But she took a deep breath.

Then she smiled.

"I'm Kita Ikuyo, guitarist and vocalist! Nice to meet you!"

That smile was so radiant it could almost melt the light, and the light in his amber eyes was rekindled.

A round of applause and whistles rang out from the audience.

An and Asuka stood behind, watching this scene, a slight smile playing on their lips.

Being nervous isn't scary, and getting stuck isn't scary either. The important thing is that she persevered.

Although there were still some minor flaws in the subsequent performance—a chord transition was half a beat too slow, a high note wasn't fully hit, and a drumbeat was slightly out of rhythm—overall, they did their best.

Three songs, one original and two covers.

The original song was written by Nijika and Ryo together. The melody is simple yet warm, and the lyrics tell the story of how they met at STARRY and decided to form a band. Kita's singing is still a bit raw, but her youthful voice adds a special quality to the song, as if telling a story that has just begun.

In his covers of An and Asuka, he loosened up a bit, adding more layers to the songs with his superb guitar skills. But he always paid attention to the limits, keeping his solos short and not overshadowing Kita's singing. Every display of skill was meant to complement, not to show off.

Most of the audience members were indeed there for An and Asuka.

This was clearly demonstrated when introducing himself.

"I am the drummer, Ichichi Nijika!"

Polite applause.

"Bass, Ryo Yamada."

The applause grew a little more enthusiastic, probably due to Kita's radiant smile.

Then, An and Asuka stepped forward and spoke into the microphone:

"I'm Anwa Asuka. I'm the guitarist who's temporarily helping out today."

The moment the words left his mouth, the entire livehouse erupted in cheers.

"Asuka—!!"

"Aaaaaaah, Asuka!!"

"Asuka is so cool!!"

The cheers were deafening, almost lifting the ceiling off the building. Some held up support signs, some stood up and waved their arms, and some were so excited that they pushed their way towards the stage.

That demeanor was in stark contrast to the reaction when the three girls were introduced earlier.

Standing behind the drum set, Ichiki Nijika looked at the audience below the stage, who were cheering wildly for one person, and a feeling that was hard to describe suddenly welled up in her heart.

It's not jealousy.

It's not that I'm disappointed.

Rather, it is a kind of... fervent eagerness.

She thought, how wonderful it would be if one day, these cheers from the audience weren't just for An and Asuka alone, but for all of them.

She secretly glanced at Liang beside her.

Liang remained expressionless, but a similar light seemed to flicker in her eyes.

Let's look at Kita again.

Kita was smiling brightly at the audience, as if the cheers had nothing to do with her—but Nijika saw it; her fingers gripping the microphone tightened slightly.

They all wanted to.

One day, we will make so many people cheer for them.

-

The three pieces ended quickly.

When the last note fell, the audience was silent for a second.

Then, applause and cheers came like a tidal wave.

"One more song!"

"Encore! Encore!"

Someone started chanting the band's name rhythmically, quickly getting the whole crowd going. The voices of over a hundred people blended together, echoing in the not-so-large livehouse, making everyone's eardrums tingle.

Kita Ikuyo stood in the center of the stage, completely stunned.

Holding the microphone, she stared blankly at the enthusiastic faces below the stage, unsure of what to say.

Encore?

Do they still have songs to perform?

Only three songs were prepared during rehearsals.

She subconsciously turned to look at Hongxia, who also looked bewildered. Then she looked at Liang, who shook her head slightly—there were no spares.

The crowd below was still shouting.

Kita's heart was pounding.

How to do?

Are we just going to refuse like this? But everyone is so enthusiastic.

Just as she was at a loss, a hand gently patted her shoulder.

An and Asuka stepped forward and took the microphone from her hand.

"Thank you all for your support." His voice was steady and clear, with a faint smile. "But let's stop here for now."

The audience quieted down a bit, but some people continued to shout, "One more song!"

An and Asuka continued, "This is our first time performing here, and we are truly grateful for everyone's enthusiasm. But I'm not the only star here today."

He turned to the side and gestured to the three girls behind him.

"They have prepared for tonight's performance for a long time and put in a lot of effort. Tonight's stage belongs to everyone. If you like their performance, please continue to support them."

He paused, then smiled slightly.

"As for me, I'll meet you all again when I have the chance."

His words calmed the audience down. Some people started clapping, some shouted "Thank you for your hard work," and others yelled at the girls on stage, "Kita-chan is so cute," "Go Nijika-chan," and "Ryo-senpai is so cool."

Kita Ikuyo stood to the side, watching An and Asuka casually shift the focus back to them, and a complex mix of emotions welled up inside her.

He's always like that.

Even though so many fans came for him, and he could have enjoyed all the cheers, he chose to share the spotlight with them.

"Thank you everyone!" She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and smiled brightly at the audience. "We will continue to work hard! The next performance will definitely be better than today's!"

Hongxia quickly stepped forward: "Thank you everyone for your support!"

Liang replied simply, as always: "Thank you."

Another round of enthusiastic applause erupted from the audience.

The lights gradually dimmed.

The curtain slowly closed.

-

As soon as the backstage door closed, shutting out the cheers from outside, the world instantly fell silent.

Kita Ikuyo let out a long sigh, then slumped into the chair next to her like a deflated balloon.

"worn out--!!"

She looked up at the ceiling and called out weakly.

Hongxia sat down next to her and rubbed her sore arms: "Me too... I can barely lift my arms."

Liang silently handed over two bottles of water.

"Thank you, Ryo-senpai!" Kita took the water, gulped down half the bottle, and then burped.

An and Asuka leaned against the wall, slowly drinking water and watching them.

"The performance was a great success."

Kita sat bolt upright, his amber eyes sparkling: "Really? Really? How did we do? Were there any particularly bad moments? Was my stuttering especially embarrassing?"

"It's really embarrassing to get stuck."